AdAge: Digital OOH’s Success Path Riddled With Roadblocks

November 21, 2013 by Dave Haynes

Advertising Age doesn’t exactly cover the hell out of the digital out of home sector (six mentions in 2013), but the trade publication did have a deep look at it today – and unfortunately came up with a lot of issues – describing the sector’s hopes of tapping digital dollars through agency trading desks as “riddled with tech and regulatory roadblocks.”

WPP’s Spafax Networks launched a programmatic buying exchange for out of home at the start of the year, with a plan to have SN: Xchange run 10% of WPP’s spend on out of home through it. But “that’s not happening,” Spafax COO Patrick Bonomo told AdAge. “It still needs more work. Right now we’re at about 4%.”

Two of the biggest problems facing the sector, particularly as it relates to getting Digital OOH media sold and placed like online display ads, are limited performance and ROI metrics (there are few things to liken to click-throughs) and the turnaround time to get data. It can take hours to pull together for Digital OOH networks, but nanoseconds with conventional web.

“One day it will be something we can buy next to display, digital video and mobile. It will get there.”

One interesting note. Bonomo said an attempt to show ROI through mobiles ties was quite successful. Reports AdAge: Bonomo’s group recently placed a client’s ad that included “text here for more info” across various out-of-home screens. It also directed consumers to a landing page. “We saw a 40% uptick in engagement based on benchmarks we established,” he said.

photo credit: Sharon Drummond via photopin cc